Tenney in the Key of Friendship

A Big Opportunity

The next day, Tenney goes downtown to play some of her latest songs for Zane, Portia, and Zane’s niece, Ellie. She plans to play some music, and then get feedback from the three artists. She starts with two slow ballads. Zane, Ellie, and Portia give some little suggestions… nothing too major.

But when Tenney performs her newest song, Zane stops her after the first chorus. All three of them agree this song needs to be changed up. Tenney played it as a ballad, but they think it should move faster. The lyrics are feistier, and the song needs to reflect that.

Tenney is stubborn. She likes her song the way it is and doesn’t want to change it or herself to make the label happy. Zane reminds Tenney that great songwriters don’t limit their imaginations to only one type of song, but they let different music influence them.

Then, Zane tells her about a new potential opportunity to play some music at the annual City Music Festival brunch. Zane says that everyone who’s anyone in the Nashville music scene will be there, and this will be an amazing opportunity to connect and get people excited to work with her.

That evening, Tenney is reworking her song to be a little punchier and uptempo when she gets a phone call from Jaya. Jaya tells her that she had an amazing idea to do a bookselling fundraiser at the annual Magnolia Hills Spring Clean. Ms. Carter, their teacher, said that all proceeds from book sales can be diverted to helping Mina’s school.

Tenney only half-listens, and is frustrated that Jaya already asked Ms. Carter without talking it through with Tenney first. She excuses herself from the conversation.